Gearing.



M DROLET.

GBARING.

APPLICATION FILE-D AUG. 31, 190B 'Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

. of this 'class in which the rack bar is so4 connected to the operating lever and the tary agitator and a balance wheel contr laseren.

To all whom it 'may concern? Be it known that I, Mannino Damiana citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented a new and the following is a specification.

My invention relates'to certain improvements in gearing devices for washing ma chines of the class havingan alternating roopen atively connected therewith and having a speed increasing gearing applied to it. My object is to provide-a gearing device of this class of simple, durable and inexpensive construction in which the operating lever may be conveniently and easily moved by an operator'who is either in a standing or ysitting position and who may employ for actuating the-lever either one or both hands and either or both feet or either one hand or one foot for operatingthelever.v

A further object is to provide a gearing useful Improvement in Gearing, of which pinion on the agitator shaft that the cover `may be opened and closed without disconnecting these parts. f

further object is to vprovide a gearing device of this kind in which rapid or forceful 'movements applied to the operating' i leverwill Ibecentered as appliedl to the tub -ofa or support in such a'lrnanner` as toavoidtilt ing the tub laterally.

My invention consists incertain details,

in the construction, arrangement and combinatlon of the various parte of the device,

`whereby' the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in t e accompanying drawings,.in which:

Figure 1 shows a vertical, sectional View gearing device for washing machines embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a sectional view thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a sectional view on the line 3-3 of F ig. l, and Fig. 4 shows a view similar to the upper portion of Fig. 1 illustrating a modified construction.

Referring-to the accompanying drawings,

the reference numeral 6 is used to represent the tub referred to in the accompanying claims as the support. This tub is mounted upon legs 7 in the ordinary manner. Within the tub is an agitator 8 mounted on v specification of Letters Fatent. Application :tiled .Muguet $1, 1908. Ferial No. 451,016.

cover 9,: which cover yend Vof said in order to fixed to the lever 4to stand he may IOWA. WASHING CHINE OTON.

ira-tenten ree. es, reis..

a vertical shaft 10 which passes through the I is hinged at one side 1n the ordlnary manner. 0n top of the agi tator shaft 10 is apinion 11. The upper shaft is rotatably mounted in a bearing device 12 on top of the'eover and it extends through a bearing 13 secured to the under surface of the cover.

For operating-'the agitator shaft l have provided a toothed rack 14 designed to mesh with the pinion 11 and being held in operative position relative to said pinion by means of the upright "lug 17 formed on the bearing 'device 12, and arranged to permit an up and down movement of the'rack bar relative to the pinion. Mounted on one side of the tub is a bearing 18 in which is fulcrumed the upright lever 15. This lever is arrangedto swing in a vertical plane toward and from a verticalline tothe center of the tub, vand the lower end of the lever is inclined downwardly and outwardly away from the tub, so that the swing of the lever is not interfered with by the side of the tub. The rack 14 is necessarily offset from a Vertical line through the center of the tub and connect the lever with the rack, I provide a bracket 16 fixed tothe lever 15 and oil-set laterally from the lever and hav ing said rack 14 pivoted to it. The lever 15 is' connected to the side of the -tub adjacent to the hinged edge of the cover 9 so that said cover may swing to open position when the rack is in engagement with its pinion. @n the lower end ofthe operating lever is a 'stirrup device 20 extended laterally in both directions from the lever to thereby receive both oreither one of the operatorsfeet, and 15 above the bracket 16 is a double handle extended laterally in both directions and designed to receive both or either one of the operators hands.

,The advantages of having the operating lever constructed as shown and described are as follows: When the operator desires grasp the handle 15 at any point desired and suitable to his height and he may, if desired, place either one of his feet on the stirrup 20 to assist in operating the lever. Furthermore if the operator desires to be seated he may thenvery conveniently and easily grasp one of the handles, whichever is most convenient., and may also place one or both feet upon the stirrup..

with one hand and then assuming a sitting position and using one hand andone foot,-

the machine can be run for" a comparatively long time with little fatigue, whereas, in machines of this class that can be operated only in oney manner, the movement soon becomes tiresome to an operator. 4In order to continue the motion applied by the lever for a period after the operator ceases to :nove the lever, I have provided the following device: Arranged beneath the tub 6 `are two crossed braces 28 fixed to the legs 7 Attached to thesefbraces at a oint spaced apart from the` centers thereo is a standard A27 having` its lower end forked and secured lto adjacent portions of the crossed braces as shown in Fig. 1 and also having its upper' end forked and bolted to the bottom of the tub. Rotatablfy7 mounted on this standard -27 is a large'cog wheel 27 is a horizontally arranged balance wheel shaft 23 having a pinion 22 thereon in mesh with the" cog wheel 24. The .outer end the shaft 23 is supported in a 'bearing 26 on the bottom of the tub and a balance wheel 21 isXed toy saidouter endl to operate in a vertical plane and to overlap the side of the tub. I provide with the cog wheel 24 by means of a pitman `25 which pitman is connected to the lever 15 at a point spaced above vthe stirrup 20 so that it will not interfere with the operators foot when on the stirrup and so that the operators foot may be as close to the floor as possible when o erating the device. In a machine o this kind it is very desirable that when rapid or forceful power is applied to lthe lever, it be applied in such a manner that it will not tend to tilt the tiib laterally. For this reason I have arranged the operating lever in position so that it can swing in a plane toward and from a line through the vertical center of the tub and in orderthat this may be done, I have offset the bracketfl from the side of the lever 15 to receive the straight rack 14 which of necessity must be at-one side of the center of the tub. I have alsset the standard 27 to 55 one -side of the center of the tub so that c the gear wheels 24 and 22 may be as close as practicablel to the center of the tub in so ar as this can be done when a.' pitman 25 is employed. 5

In the modied construction shown in Fig. 4, I show the operating lever as operating .24and rotatably mounted in the standardofv for connecting the lever 15 the agitator by means of a swinging toothed segment 30 supported by a pivoted arm 31 and from a standard 32 on top of the cover.

This segment meshes with the inion 11 and is connected to the lever 15 by he pitman 33.

I f preferred, this swinging segment may be substituted for the straight rack of the main figures. My invention also pr'ovides for swinging the cover from a closed to an uprightopen position, without the necessityi asheretofore, of vdisconnecting any of the parts of the mechanism of the machine' connected with the cover in any way.

I. claim as my invention:

1. A gearing device for washing machines, comprising a support, a vertically arranged shaft mounted in the center of the support, a pinion thereon, a rack in mesh with said pinion, a horizontally arranged balance wheel shaft below the support, a balance wheel andl a'small pinion thereon, said 4pinion being arranged on one side of a vertical line through the center of the support, a gear wheel in mesh with said pinion and also arranged on one side of a vertical central line through the support, a pitman connected with the gear wheel, a single operating lever fulcrumed to the side of the support and arranged to swing in a vertical plane toward and from a line through the center of the support, a bracket on the upper end of the operating lever offset laterally from the lever'and connected to said rack, the lower end of the lever being connected to said pitman, a handle at the upper end of the lever and a stirrup at the lower end, said stirrulp being below said pitman..

2. gearing device for washing machines, comprising a support, a vertical shaft mounted centrally in the top of the support, a pinion thereon, a lever I'ulcrumed to one side of the support and arranged in vertical position to swing in a plane toward and from a' central vertical line through the support, a bracket fixed to the lever and offset ,from

one side thereof. a rack pivoted to said pinion.

MEDERIC DROLET.

Witnesses H. C'. MARCEAU, G. MARCEAU. 

